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As an author, I'm always looking to expand my writing technique. My steps to outlining any new story are pretty much the same, but I tried a new technique with the actual prose this time around. In the past, I would often read the previous day's work before continuing on with the story, but while writing Inferno, I delayed that re-read until I completed the entire first draft.
This has given me a better sense of the overall storyline and let me edit sections to ensure the focus was on the right part of the tale. Like many of my other stories, a lot is happening in Inferno, but ultimately it comes down to the main characters' experiences (Athgar and Natalia). I found that this new technique let me ensure that this was the case. Until next time, happy reading!
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We were out walking the dogs today when I spotted a pair of jets flying overhead. Ordinarily, this wouldn’t have garnered much interest, but they were, in fact, military aircraft. London (Ontario, that is) hosts the International Test Pilots School. In addition, this company has a subsidiary, the International Tactical Training Centre (ITTC). They train pilots from all over the world in a variety of different programs, using AERO L-39 trainers, better known as the Albatros.
This Czechoslovakian design (now the Czech Republic) is one of the most widely used jet trainers in existence. Over thirty different air forces worldwide employ it as well as a number of civilian organizations (of which ITTC is one). By the way, it’s not a typo, Albatros is spelled in the Czech manner, with only one ‘s’. Interesting what you can discover when paying attention to your surroundings. Until next time, happy reading! Carol and I were out for our usual morning walk this week, and she reminded me it is two years since I became a full-time author. Wow, has the time ever flown by fast, yet there is still so much left to write!
Having always wanted to be a writer, my journey to get to where I am today began many years ago. I’ve been running Role-Playing Games (RPG’s) almost my entire life. One of the things that attracted me to them was the ability to use my imagination and form a narrative. This led to me developing ever more complicated plotlines and worlds, leading, perhaps inevitably, to writing my own stories. I tried writing a full-length book a few times over the years, but never quite got to the point where I was satisfied with the results. I think what finally convinced me to actually finish my first book was a combination of factors, some of which are largely attributed to technology. The ability to convert anything I wrote to an epub was one such step. I can still remember the thrill of opening up my own story on my Kobo and seeing the words in front of me. The second technological improvement was the ability to self-publish, an option that wasn’t really viable when I was younger (except maybe for fanzines, which I actually did.) Outside of tech, there were two significant influences. First, and perhaps most influential, was the encouragement and support of my wife, Carol. Without her insistence, these stories would have languished on my computer for all eternity. The second was when I finally learned how to create an outline before actually beginning to write. It’s now been two years since I gave up my ‘regular’ job and became an author full time, and I can honestly say it was well worth it. This week I learned of the passing of Jack Whyte. He was a Scottish Canadian author who authored some of my favourite series. These included one about King Arthur, comprised of nine books, and another dealing with the Templar Knights. Both had a profound effect on how I wanted to write.
I was also struck by a number of similarities between us, though I only discovered them when reading of his accomplishments. We both emigrated to Canada in the same year (1967), and he produced seventeen novels throughout his career (I currently have the same number for sale). Additionally, he was a devotee of the program Scrivener, something I only discovered when researching this article. Jack Whyte was traditionally published and sold over 1.25 million copies in Canada alone—a phenomenal success by any standard. He died this past Tuesday at the age of eighty. For more information about Jack Whyte and his books, please visit his official website at: https://www.jackwhyte.com/ Since I just started in on Inferno (The Frozen Flame: Book 4), I thought I might share some of my preparation techniques. Although I’d already started an outline right after I finished book three, I needed to make sure the story elements were in place. I created a quick one-sentence list of each chapter and the key takeaways from it. This allowed me to structure the story into three acts and ensure I had enough content to fill a book.
This gave me an outline with 33 chapters (plus an epilogue), the same number as the last two books, so the length looks good. Invariably, as I write the story, this will grow, but it’s a good starting point. Next, I listed the major plot points I want to introduce—the idea being to stop me from wandering off track. The last step, which I’m still working on, is to list each character and map out their contribution to the tale. I had planned to have several characters returning from previous books, but there’s no sense in bringing them back if they don’t serve a useful purpose. As you can probably tell, I believe in thoroughly plotting out my books. It is not uncommon for me to have twenty to thirty pages in the outline by the time I am done. Until next time, happy reading! In my soon to be released novel, Warrior Knight, the main character has a habit of looking skyward when thinking. This leads to an amusing scene when he is in the company of a man named Linden Herzog, an Earth Mage. Here is the excerpt:
Ludwig looked up towards the ceiling, going over things in his head. In answer, Linden leaned forward, craning his neck to see the object of his companion's fascination. Ludwig's eyes came back down. "What are you doing?" "I was going to ask you the same thing. Is there something up there?" "No, I was just thinking. Sometimes it helps to stare off into the distance to focus my mind." "That's a bizarre custom, my friend." I wrote that some time before Christmas. Now imagine my surprise when we were watching The Queen's Gambit on Netflix last night, and the main character, who plays chess, looks toward the ceiling, working out her moves. Her opponent, though he doesn't speak, looks up, trying to see what she's staring at. An amazing coincidence that made me laugh out loud, especially as my wife and I had just been talking about that scene in my book earlier in the day! Until next time, happy reading! It just occurred to me that it’s been three years since I published my first book, Servant of the Crown. Since then, I’ve written a further sixteen books, including those currently in the editing progress. Also, I've expanded further on my original series, Heir to the Crown, by adding two more: The Frozen Flame and Power Ascending.
When I first started I had no idea how popular my stories would become, but readers have responded with great enthusiasm. It is that very response that has inspired me to continue writing, allowing me to transition from part-time to a full-time author over eighteen months ago. I look forward to bringing more stories to the world. Until next time, happy reading! I started outlining my new book this week, Warrior Knight, and in the early stages, the main character becomes involved with a company of mercenaries. This led me to research the 'Free Companies', which were armies of mercenaries formed between the 12th and 14th centuries. They first appeared in England during the wars over succession between King Stephen and Empress Matilda (1137 – 1153). Similar groups appeared in France and were integrated into the armies of Phillip II.
Unfortunately for the mercenaries, the hundred years war had a period of peace, resulting in the dismissal of large numbers of soldiers. Many of them formed armed bands and made a living by pillaging the region of southern France. The name 'Brigands' was eventually applied to these troops, a term that was used for many centuries afterwards. Perhaps the most notorious free companies were those that fought in 14th century Italy, where they became known as condottieri. This stems from the Italian word Condottiero, which means 'contractor'. Condottieri (note the 'i' on the end) eventually became synonymous with a military leader and was then applied to the people in charge of these groups of mercenaries. The end of the Free Companies came about as the Italian states centralized their power and raised their own armies. In 1889, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle (the creator of Sherlock Holmes) attended a lecture on the Middle Ages. He was so impressed by what he learned that he dove into further research about the period, including the Free Companies, eventually producing a story called "The White Company". This story was originally published in installments in a magazine called Cornhill Magazine, but is available now, free of charge, from the Gutenberg Project. Fascinating what you can learn when you go down the rabbit hole we call the Internet. Until next time, Happy reading! The other day, I was sitting here, contemplating a battle scene. Having written quite a few of these in the past, I'm always on the lookout for something unique to add to the narrative. Movies can be an inspiration in this regard, but to really find something interesting, I find history to be far more rewarding. From the Dambusters to the Doolittle Raid, there are all sorts of daring raids that caught the enemy by surprise.
One in particular that springs to mind is the Special Boat Section (later renamed the Special Boat Service, similar to the SAS). This elite group was founded in 1940 by a commando officer named Roger Courtney. He first tried to convince the Admiral of the Fleet that his idea of a group of men infiltrating enemy lines using folding kayaks was worth pursuing but got little response. To prove the validity of his theory, he picked a target, HMS Glengyle, a landing ship that lay at anchor in a nearby river and paddled his kayak over to the ship. Once aboard, he stole a deck gun cover and left his initials on the door to the captain's cabin, escaping undetected. He took the cover to a nearby hotel, presenting it to a group of high ranking naval officers. As a result of his actions, they promoted him to captain, and gave him command of twelve men, thus launching the SBS. They went on to perform other, more serious missions, but the very nature of their origin shows how 'thinking outside the box' could revolutionize warfare. This very same idea empowers many special forces to this day. If you want to learn more about the SBS, check out their article on Wikipedia, or watch 'The Cockleshell Heroes' (1955), a somewhat fictionalized version of their origins. Until next time, Happy reading! Many of my books, particularly the Heir to the Crown series, involve battles. Just this week, as I was working on Fury of the Crown, I came to a part of the story that involved a massive clash of arms. I have, of course, written these sorts of scenes before, but it’s always important to me to make each one as distinctive as possible.
When there are multiple combat scenes in a book, or series for matter, describing an individual battle can, at times, get very repetitious, both to the reader and the writer. For this reason, I always find it works better to give the reader a personal connection to that action. In my experience, the best way to do this is to reveal the details through its central characters. However, this particular book gave me the opportunity to highlight some personalities who have not had much time devoted to them. Their contributions are as deserving of note as the main characters, but, just as in real life, their successes are often ignored. Everyone has heard of Napoleon or Alexander the Great, but how many know about those under their command? I hope in the writing of my most recent battles, I have given my unsung heroes their due. |
AuthorPaul Bennett, Writer of Epic Fantasy Stories. Archives
January 2022
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